Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Appleton, Thomas Gold

APPLETON, Thomas Gold, author, b. in Boston, Mass., 31 March, 1812; d. in New York, 17 April, 1884. His early training was received at the Boston Latin school, where he was prepared to enter Harvard in the class of 1831. Among his classmates were J. L. Motley, Wendell Phillips, and other distinguished men. Mr. Appleton spent much of his time abroad. He was a liberal patron of the fine arts, and gave efficient aid to various institutions, including the public library, the institute of technology, and the museums at Boston and Cambridge. He was an amateur painter of superior merit, and his water-color sketches of scenes on the river Nile are exceptionally good. He was the author of several books in prose and verse. In poetry his “Faded Leaves” was well received by the reading public. In prose he published his “Nile Journal” (Boston, 1876), “Syrian Sunshine” (1877), “Windfalls,” and other works. He was the founder of the Boston literary club, was highly esteemed for his genial temper and courteous manners, and was looked upon by those who knew him as unrivalled for wit and humor. A volume of his “Life and Letters,” prepared by Susan Hale, was published in New York in 1885.